Dispenser for drink stir sticks



Oct. 11, 1960 J. J. DOMINO 2,955,890

DISPENSER Foa DRINK s'rIR sTIcxs Filed oct.. 28, 1957 Mana N -IS 26 f l l' l k Y? a? .18

v tr 2,955,89@ NPatented Oct. 11, 19,60

DISPENSER FOR 'DRINK STIR STICKS Joseph J. Domino, 2223 Custer Ave., Rockford, Dl. Filed Oct. 28, 1957, Ser. No. 692,601

7 Claims. (Cl. S12-35) This invention relates to a dispenser for drink stir sticks, designed for convenient application to the back portion of a bar top for the most sanitary storage of the stirrers and handiest dispensing of sticks one at a time to the bartender each time a drink is served requiring a stirrer.

The dispenser of my invention has been designed for the purpose stated above and with the following objects in view:

(1) The hinged lid covering the mouth on the lower end of the hopper, while ordinarily disposed in closed position for good sanitation, is designed to be raised easily by the operators index linger as he reaches in for a stick, but is also adapted to be locked releasably in raised open position during busy periods to save time and facilitate the removal of the sticks.

(2) The clamps for fastening the hopper onto the back portion of the bar top have their upper jaw portions neatly concealed by an advertising sign housing that is detachably secured to the front wall of the hopper, where it is disposed for most andvantageous display of the advertising matter to customers facing the bar, au electric light being installed therein for illumination of the advertisement, the wires for the light bulb extending from the light socket being conveniently extended rearwardly from the bottom of the housing downwardly past the rear edge of the bar top between the pair yof clamps and hence completely concealed from view from the front of the bar and also out of the way of the bartender.

(3) Other rectangular advertising signs can be mounted on opposite sides of the hopper where they can be seen easily by customers in front of the bar, so that the best possible advantage is taken of the .hopper for advertising display purposes, and, inasmuch as all three signs are quickly removable and replaceable, the proprietor will be encouraged to change theV advertisements frequently to maintain the interest of customers and promote sales of various products.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, Vin which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a drink stir stick dispenser made in accordance with my invention, a portion being broken away to better illustrate the construction;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of one upper corner of the hopper showing how frames lfor the advertising signs on the sides are detachably secured to the hopper;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4 4 of Fig. l, showing the lid in raised position and illustrating one of the two spring catches for holding it in that position;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1, showing how the front advertising sign housing is detachably connected to the hopper;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the upper portion of Fig. l that is shown broken away there, and

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of an advertising sign like those used on the sides of the hopper, adapted to be used interchangeably in place of the sign shown on the front of the hopper.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts throughout the views.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral 8 designates the dispenser of my invention shown applied to the rear edge portion of a bar top 9 by the tightening of screws 16 on two laterally spaced generally U-shaped clamps 11 that are welded or otherwise suitably secured to the arcuate bottom portion 12 of the otherwise rectangular sheet metal hopper 13, forming the body of the dispenser. Wooden stirrer sticks of conventional length, like that indicated in end view at 14 in Fig. l, are stored in the hopper 13 extending horizontally nearly the full width of the hopper and are put in when the rectangular top cover 15 is removed, the latter having a downwardly projecting marginal flange 16 thereon to prevent displacement thereof and exclude dust and dirt so as to keep the sticks in Va good sanitary condition. Assuming there is a good supply of sticks stored in the hopper, the sticks will be fed by gravity to the hopper mouth 17 in the rectangular top of the rearward extension 18 of the bottom portion of the hopper, the bottom and rear walls of which are curved in one smooh arc as a continuation of the curved bottom portion 12 previously mentioned, as indicated at 19, to facilitate the gravity feed. A hinged lid 20 having parallel ears 21 disposed on opposite sides of the lower portion of the hopper 13 above the mouth 17 is pivoted, as at 22, to the hopper and normally closes the mouth 17 for protection of the sticks against dust and dirt. However, when a stick is to be removed, the bartender can, in one motion raise the lid with his index nger, as indicated at 23, by means of the rearwardly projecting handle portion 24, and reach in under the lid with the same linger and withdraw a stick between the index nger 23 and thumb indicated at 25, after which the lid 20 will drop by gravity to closed position. In most of these operations, the index finger will slide the topmost stick over to and up the inner side of the rear wall of extension 18 and out, whereupon the thumb and finger hold the stick, as shown. During busy periods, where the necessity to raise the lid 20 each time a stick is to be removed would be a nuisance and interfere with the speedy serving of customers, the lid is adapted to be locked releasably in raised open position by eyebrow projections 26 formed on the side walls of the extension 18, over the upper edges of which the corner portions 27 of the ears 21 are slidable in the swinging of the lid upwardly to the upright position indicated in Fig. 1. The lower inner corner portions 27 of the ears 2,1 are bent outwardly just enough to have the tip portions thereof clear the eyebrow projections 26 in the upright position of the lid so that when the bartender wants to close the lid these outwardly bent portions 27 will serve by cam action in sliding on the eyebrow projections 26 to flex the ears 21 outwardly enough to clear the projections 26 and accordingly allow the lid to be closed. The lid is shown in full lines in Fig. 1 in closed position and in dotted lines in an intermediate open position.

To make the dispenser 8 more useful and at the same time improve its appearance all around, I provide on the front thereof a housing 28 for an illuminated advertising sign, as indicated by the glass panel 29 and electric light bulb 30 in Fig. l. This housing 28, which is rectangular as seen from the front, is of generally triangular form in vertical cross-section, wider at the bottom than at the top, the horizontal top wall 31 lying substantially flush with the top cover 15 and closing the top of the housing so that no light escapes there, whereas the inclined bottom wall 32, on top of which the light bulb 30 rests, leaves a space back of it, between it and the hopper 13,

as indicated at 33, through which the wires 34 for connecting the socket of the light bulb with a convenient outlet may extend downwardly behind'the rear edge of the bar top 9 between the U-shaped clamps 1l. .Any suitable or preferred form of detachable connection may be provided between the housing 28 and hopper 13,'but I prefer to provide a simple and economical form of bay- Vonet lock, consisting of a pair of hook-shaped lugs 35, one lug on each of the side walls 36 of housing 28 projecting inwardly from said walls in vertically spaced relationship and arranged to hook onto lugs 37 bent outwardrly and inwardly from the front wall 38 of the hopper, as best seen in Fig, 5. It is apparent, therefore, that the housing 28conceals the top portions of the U-shaped clamps 11and at the same tirne'incorporates an illuminated advertising sign, which may, for example, relate to the particular brand of beer that the tavern'features, thereby promoting business'thereon. In the Vevent the bulb 39 bums out, the housing 28 may be removed easily forreplacement of the bulb, by merely lifting the housing to unhook lugs 35 from lugs 37. In this oper-ation, the finger holes provided by notches 39 provided in the lower rear `corners of the sidewalls 36 of the housing enable one to take a good hold on the housing on opposite sides preparatory to lifting it, and, of course, these notches also facilitate the replacement of the housing later. The U-clamps 11 have upwardly looped portions 40 on the inner ends of the upper jaws 41. in alignment with and reachable through the notches 39, Yenabling one to hold the assembly in place more securely while tighten ing the screws 1li in the attachment of the device to the bar. If one were to Vrely on holding the device by means of the housing 28 there would be danger of the housing becoming disconnected from the device and causing the device to be dropped and damaged. The loops 40 also serve as iiexible spring coils for the resilient engagement of jaws 41 with the top of the bar and, as shown, the jaws 4i are downwardly and forwardly inclined to take hold at their front ends irst, thus reducing likelihood of slippage. t

To further increase theY usefulness of the dispenser, two additional advertising sign holders may be mounted on'opposite sides of the hopper 13, as shownat 42 inV j Fig. l, each holder consisting of a sheet metal frame 43 with an advertising sign 44 mounted therein, made of glass or any other suitable material. Here again, any suitable or preferred form of detachable connection may be provided between the frames 43 and hopper 13, but I prefer to provide the same simple and economical form of bayonet lock as provided for housing 28, consisting of a pair of hook-shaped lugs 45 in vertically spaced relation on each side of the frames 43 arranged to hook onto lugs 46 bent outwardly and inwardly from the side walls 47 of the hopper, as best appears in Figs. 2 and V5. The advertising matter used in the signs 44 may relate to the particular brand or brands of beer that the tavern features, and, to avoid monotony, the proprietor may from time to time change the advertising signs, the frames 43 being, 0f course, easily removable and replaceable in Ya manner similar to housing 28.

In the event an illuminated advertising sign is objected to, the bulb 3) may, of course, be omitted, but the same assembly 28 used otherwise, or another rectangular advertising sign holder 42 may be provided, as indicated in Fig. 7, having the same arrangement of khook-shaped lugs 35 as are provided on housing 28 for interlocking engagement with lugs 37. Y Y

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims have been Ydrawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.Y

I claim: Y Y

l 1. A drink stir sticktdispenser comprising an uprightM Yopen-tcp hopper formed with an open-top rearward extension on the lower end thereof, the hopper having a V4 t downwardly and rearwardly curved bottom wall with an extension that curves upwardly Vand rearwardly forming the bottom of said rearwardextension, closures `for the open top of said hopper and extension, vertically disposed U-clamp means on the lower portion of said hopper on the opposite side from said rearward extension adapted to embrace the rear edge `portion of arbar top onto which said dispenser is to be secured, clamp screw means on the lower portion of said U-clamp means for clamping engagementwith the bottom of the bar top, and aV forwardly extending housing on the front of said hopper overlying the top of said U-clamp means for concealment thereof and providing a holder forV an advertising sign facing the front of thebar top.` j Y 2. A dispenser according to claim l, wherein the advertising sign is of translucent material, the dispenser including lighting means in said forwardly extending housing for illumination of said advertising sign.

3. A dispenseras set forth in claim l, wherein the U-clamp means includes on the upper portion Vthereof an upwardly extending lspring loop next to the hopper adapted to serve asaV finger gripV in holding the dispenser while tightening the clamp screw means, said spring loop rbeing enclosed by said forwardly reaching housing..

4.` A dispenser as set forth in claim l, wherein the U- clamp means includes on the upper portion thereof an upwardly extending Vspring loopnext to the hopper adapted to serve as a iinger grip in holding the dispenser Vwhile tightening the clamp screw means, ,said spring loop being .enclosed by said forwardly reaching housing, at least one side wall of said housing being cut away at the lower inner. portion thereof to enable entering a finger in said loop lfrom the side of said housing to hold the dispenser during the tightening of the clamp Yscrew means.

5. A drink stir stick dispensercomprising an upright open-top hopper formed withan open-top rearward extension on the lower end thereof,vthe hopper having a downwardlyV and rearwardly curved bottom wall with an yextension that` curves upwardly and rearwardly forming the bottom of said rearward extensiorg, closures for the opentop of saidhopper and extension, vertically disposed U-clamp means on the lower portion of said hopper on the opposite side fromsaid rearward extension adapted `to embracethe rear edge portion of atbar top onto which said dispenser is to be secured, clamp screw means on the lower portion of Vsaid U-clamp means for clamping engagementV with the bottom of the bar top, a forwardly reaching housing on the frontof saidV hopper overlying the top of. said U-clamp means for concealment thereof and providing a holder for an advertising sign Yfacing the front of the bar top, and advertising sign kholders on opposite sides of said hoppery also visible from the front of the bar top. Y Y

6..A drink stir stick dispenser comprising an upright open-top hopper formed with an open-top rearward extension on the lower end thereof, the hopper having a downwardly and rearwardly curved bottomwall with an extension that curves Vupwardly. and rearwardly forming the bottom of said rearward extension, a closure. for the open topof said hopper, and anlimperforate lid closing the open top of said extension hinged at the inner edge thereof transversely of the forward portion of saidextension and having a portion on the outer edgeY extending rearwardly relative to the back ofv said extension .whereby said lid is adapted to be raised by an index iinger in the operation of removinga Ystick frornthe open `top Vof said extension, the lid having downwardly projecting side por tions overlapping the sides of the rearward extension of ysaid hopper, the inner end portion of at least one of mit closing the lid.y

7. A drink stir stick dispenser comprising an upright open-top hopper formed with an open-top rearward extension on the lower end thereof, the hopper having a downwardly and rearwardly curved bottom wall with an extension that curves upwardly and lrearwardly forming the bottom of said rearward extension, a closure for the open top of said hopper, and an imperforate lid closing the open top of said extension hinged at the inner edge thereof transversely of the forward portion of said extension and having a portion on the outer edge extending rearwardly relative to the back of said extension whereby said lid is adapted to be raised by an index nger in the operation of removing a stick from the open top of said extension, the lid having downwardly projecting side p0rtions overlapping the sides of the rearward extension of said hopper, the inner end portion of at least one of said side portions tending to spring inwardly over the top of the side of said extension when the lid is raised to a substantially vertical position, and said portion being bent outwardly to provide a cam surface on the inner side thereof to deect the side portion outwardly to permit closing the lid, the side wall of said rearward extension having an outwardly projecting portion so spaced relative to the pivot for said lid Ithat it is slidably engaged by the outwardly bent portion on the lid in the extreme raised position thereof.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 419,952 Huehn Jan. 21, 1890 990,628 Bowes Apr. 25, 1911 1,125,884 Praker Jan. 19, 1915 1,355,010 Strongson Oct. 5, 1920 1,829,141 Hxon Oct. 27, 1931 1,884,290 Schults et a1 Oct. 25, 1932 1,908,185 Rinehart May 9, 1933 1,988,190 Dodge Jan. 15, 1935 2,289,099 Buttermann July 7, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 516,869 Italy Feb. 24, 1955 

